Faith does not rely on feelings, but it absolutely does foster them. It is what we feel strongly about that happens in our lives. Only in the realm of strong conviction can we weather storms that arise. Our beliefs and our strong feelings must be intertwined to form a powerful seed for change.
Strong feelings could accurately be described as passion. Passion is a mixture of what a person loves and what he hates. Sometimes it’s a love of something that drives his passion to change the world, but at other times, it’s what angers or disappoints him about the world that leads to a passion to change it. All great achievements must be maintained through passion; otherwise, criticisms, setbacks, and pressures will eventually wear achievers down. In order for passion to exist you must be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right.
Without passion you will never stick it out when the going gets tough. It’s passion that keeps you going in the face of insurmountable odds, and it is the same passion that keeps one refusing to quit no matter how painful the journey to the top is. It is the energy that commits to a goal and stays with it.
There was a woman who was well known in a particular African city because she lived in a cardboard house underneath a bridge. Everybody knew she was there. She had tuberculosis; she was dirty. Nobody cared about her. She had no family, no one to love her, no one to trust her, no one to believe in her. So she went about her life living under that bridge. But then a big meeting came to town where they were sharing principles similar to what I’m sharing with you here.
A group of ladies from the church decided to be bold and go under the bridge to the woman in the cardboard house. When they came to her house and invited her to the meeting, she said, “Why do you want me? You don’t care about me. Nobody wants me.” They replied, “You’ve got to come with us. There is a man who is talking about Jesus and God, and lots of people are being healed. You are ill and he can help you!”
She finally consented and went to the meeting, and as she was standing there on the outside of the crowd listening, she heard words of love and life. Suddenly she understood that God loved her, and that Jesus had died for her so that she would never be alone.
She opened her mouth and prayed to this living God, and as she did, Jesus visited her. She felt an energy come into her body, and she could breathe deeply once again! The ladies from church saw that she was smiling and breathing normally, so they rushed her up to the platform to share a testimony of what had happened in her life. The women were so excited! Right there in their midst they were seeing a miracle!
They brought the woman up onto the platform and asked the preacher to have her testify. When they handed her the microphone, she walked out in front of the people and said, “You know me. I’m the lady that lives under the bridge in the cardboard house. You know who I am. You know that I’m all alone under that bridge, but something happened to me. As I was standing on that field praying and listening, all of a sudden Jesus came to me, and for the first time in my life I know that I will never be alone again, because Jesus has come to live in me.”
The women pressed her to testify about her healing from tuberculosis, but the greatest miracle to the lady from the cardboard house was the reality that she would never be alone again! The God of the universe had taken up residence within her heart!
The devil is not able to come into your room in the middle of the night and destroy you or your family. He is limited because he is a loser. So why do we read on the internet and on the front pages of newspapers about foolish, destructive behavior from successful businessmen, politicians, and ministers? The devil didn’t make them do it; they entertained and yielded to devilish thoughts.
Solomon penned that above all we should guard our hearts, for out of them flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Life comes from the inside. Nothing changes on the outside until we change on the inside!
People spend their lives offended at what other people did to them, instead of concentrating on the real wealth inside them that could change the world. Paul told us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2 NLT 1996).
Why does God tell you to do this? Because eventually, whatever goes into your inside will affect your outside. Physically, you may have the desire to look like someone on the front page of a glamour magazine, but you also might have the desire to eat 10 hamburgers and a pound of french fries a day! What you put inside of you will eventually show up on the outside and override any higher goal you might have had.
Laws are designed for good. They are intended to protect us. When an offender breaks the law, we want him in jail. There are laws in every area of creation, both seen and unseen. For example, there are laws that govern nature, such as the law of gravity. We build our science on laws that work. In physics, for instance, there are laws that dictate how electricity works. These laws have always existed. When men understood them, they could harness the power of electricity for good to bless mankind. But if these laws are broken, then what was meant for good can do evil to you. The same heat generated by electricity to cook eggs on your stove, will also cook you if you sit on it—even though you own the stove. The laws that govern electricity are not respecters of persons.
In the same way, the law of faith is a dynamic given for the good of mankind to bring the blessings of heaven to earth. It is the currency of heaven. It is the evidence of things not seen. It is the victory that overcomes the world. It is the answer to all things desired. It is what makes possible the things that look impossible. We can value it for our benefit, or it can easily be used for our destruction. Let us operate in the light of the faith revelation.
What is our future? If we really believed that what we plant today is what we will see tomorrow, then we would start planting what we want to see. What are the seeds that we have to plant? The law of sowing and reaping shows us that good and bad are the result of what we sow.
If we want good in our life, Jesus told us very clearly what the seeds are when He revealed the law of faith. Faith is designed to bring to pass good desires, or what you want. If you are not admiring your life right now, then change the seeds you are sowing!
There are laws that govern God’s “moral universe” just as we recognize the laws that govern the physical universe. Cause and effect is used to defend the creation of earth by God. Is there a cause and effect in the realm of faith where actions can predict results? If we have an unchangeable Christ, can we discover principles of His kingdom that are unchangeable?
In Galatians 6:7 Paul said, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” God declared that seedtime and harvest would continue as long as the earth remained (Genesis 8:22). He sowed the seed of His Son to reap the harvest of billions of sons and daughters. There are two overriding truths here: Seed produces after its own kind. And seed always produces more than the amount of seed sown.
These truths will work in every area of life. At my home I have terrible bushes that try to overpower my property, and they flourish. If these principles work for bad, corruptible seed like those undesirable bushes, just think how well they will work for an incorruptible seed like the words, thoughts, and actions motivated by your relationship with your Lord!
We are seed planters. Everything in my life; my world, my body, my ministry, my job, and my family begins with a seed.
How much do you want out of life? How high do you want to climb? How long do you want to live? How much power will you exercise? What goals do you want to reach?
You could say this: whatever you give yourself to will increase. Whatever you put your focus on will multiply. In your life, whatever you pay attention to will grow, and whatever you ignore will diminish. Seeds give back what you plant, and more.
We find people today are looking more than for a job. They are looking for a life of meaning and a work they can commit themselves to. At a young age with a certain degree of success and friendship, I had a question in my mind: Is this all there is? What I found was beyond my wildest dreams! A life without limits was being offered to me! This same life is offered to every person. Today people are scrambling for a job and glad to have one, but security is not satisfaction.
The good news is that every job is a joy if you see it tied to something bigger and more significant for your quest of life. Jesus came into this earth from the Father and Creator of all things. He said you can have life like My Father and I have life. You can let go of your limitations and enter a place where the source of all things is not limited by economy or government or education or country.
Jesus opened the door when He said: “Have faith in God. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart.
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.” Mark 11:22
The possibility stands before you. Go for it!
When I was in Moscow one winter, record setting freezing temperatures froze the pipes of the heater units and caused a real flood, as well as a dangerous freeze inside. Our director had the great idea of placing an old iron gas heater in the center of the main room to warm up the house until we could replace the whole system. The heater had to be turned off at night though, and the first thought in the morning was how to get that heater going again! A little spark was all it took, and everyone would gather round until the warmth began to spread.
Friends, don’t start your day without a spark. Yesterday’s spark will not do. The fire has to be rekindled every morning. What is that spark to you? You probably know how to find that java stimulant for your body, but it might take a little more time to spark the divine impulse within you that will lift you to a place of expectation and peace as you deal with the day’s issues. When you are warm then everybody around you gets to enjoy the warmth!
2 Tim 1:6 “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Peter 3:11 “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior…”
It isn’t the loudness or length of speaking that produces change, it is the words that are spoken. For example, we were in the capital of Costa Rica with a marvelous group of leaders and believers as well as thousands of other people.
We conducted over 21 meetings. We met with the president of the country. The national Christian television station broadcast all the meetings across Latin America. Our time there was building to a climax, when my interpreter decided he was tired and wasn’t coming to my final meeting. Tired?? One doesn’t get tired in the middle of a campaign! I found myself at the meeting with the music playing, 40,000 people waiting to hear the Word of God and be healed, and no interpreter! What would you do? What you believe really comes out in moments like this!
I told the choir to keep singing, then stepped down from the platform and walked among the people, looking for someone who could speak English. I finally found an old schoolteacher. He had just a whisper of a voice, but he could speak accurately. I told him not to worry. “I will preach with heart,” I said, “just say the words, and Jesus will back us up. Only be accurate with the words.”
My faith was in Jesus alone, and it was very lonely up there with the multitude waiting to see Jesus. My dear new friend whispered the message, and I prayed with great vigor for the manifestation of the healing power of God to make the people whole. My friend whispered the prayer, and it brought a great thunder of faith from their hearts and miracles began to flow. Many canes and wheelchairs were thrust into the air. Arms were lifted, and a parade of hurting humanity gave witness to the living God.
The next day in the town where I was staying, I was negotiating with an art store owner for a particular painting. He greeted me with a big smile and called me Pastor. I had never mentioned that I was a preacher, how did he know?
He said his wife had insisted that he go to the mass miracle meeting the previous night, and so he had stood way in the back. When I invited people to lay hands on themselves where they would like Jesus to lay His hand, he could not think of anything wrong except the golf-ball-size bone deformity he was born with on his lower spine. As he touched it, he felt it dissolve under his hand. He was so happy that Jesus revealed Himself, and he found Christ on that field. I have the picture that we haggled over hanging in our home today!
It takes skill to lift people up. You don’t have to put people down, the devil already does a great job of that. The body of Christ is supposed to be lifting people up and giving them hope!
There are a thousand reasons to feel ashamed every day. Your thoughts can put you down, your spouse can put you down, your neighbors can put you down. Your past can put you down. Something you did can put you down, something you didn’t do can put you down!
A number of years ago I was preaching in Crimea. After a week of preaching my interpreter turned to me and said, “Kevin, when I listen to you, I begin to hope again!” I was a little worried by that…after a week of meetings my interpreter was just now beginning to believe what she was saying?
I told her that I didn’t understand what she meant, and she replied, “You don’t understand what communism did to us. It’s worse than stealing your house. It’s worse than stealing your car. It’s worse than stealing your opportunities for education or opportunities for advancement. They stole our hope. We were people without hope, but now we hear you and hope is beginning to arise. The God that you’re talking about, He will hear me, He will hear me!” “I’m going to pray,” she stated firmly, and I asked, “You mean you weren’t praying before?” “No,” she said, “I had no hope. I could not expect God to answer prayer. But now, I can expect Him to answer my prayer.”
She continued, “I’m going to pray for two things.” I thought, ok, I help. I’ll pray with her. She said, “No, I don’t want you to pray.” Curious, I asked what she was going to pray for. “I’m going to pray for a tape recorder because I want to hear this message again, and I’m going pray for a telephone because our family has been waiting 40 years to get one.” I said, “Larisa, I agree with you. You go pray.”
A week later she came to me, “Kevin! Kevin! Good news! Somebody gave me a tape recorder, and I know a telephone is coming!” Now, this might not seem important to you, but if you’d waited 40 years for something, it would be a very big deal to you.
A month later, I got a letter. “Dear Kevin, I want to share this wonderful news with you. You know what I was praying for. Last weekend a lady was born again and joined our church. I started to help her and gave her a bible study. One day this week she asked me, ‘Larisa, what can I do for you?’ I told her ‘Nothing.’ She replied, ‘I work for the telephone company, do you need a telephone?’ Kevin, the next day we got a telephone!”
The gospel has made us something. Once we were without hope, but now we have a covenant. We have God, and we have hope!
There is a difference between a person who has pride, and a person who is arrogant. We all know arrogant people who are brutish and loud, always having to put people down in order to feel lifted up. That’s arrogance. But self-pride is different.
If you have a mechanic you want a good mechanic. What makes a good mechanic? Someone who has pride in their work, right? You don’t want a mechanic who says, “I might fix it or it might break on you, I never know.” You don’t want to give your car to that person, you could get killed doing that! You don’t want to give your money to a stock broker who says, “Well, you know, I haven’t made any money yet, but give me your money because who knows? Maybe I can help you.” You don’t want to give your money to a broker with no confidence, you want a broker who believes in his decisions. You wouldn’t want to go to a doctor for help and hear him say, “Well, most people die when I operate on them, but come on, I’ll give it a try.” No! You want a doctor who says, “Yes I can help you, you’ll be fine.”
We need people who believe in themselves. Sometimes the church creates unbelievers by leading you to believe that God is important, but you’re not. God is smart, but you aren’t. God is holy, but you’re just a sinner. You walk out of that church thinking, I’m in trouble!
When Adam sinned he was filled with shame and hid from God, but Jesus came and filled us with dignity. Now you can believe in yourself because He lives in you and your sins are removed—you’re a new person! You have a new spirit, you have a new relationship, you have a new revelation, you have a new authority. That’s the gospel! I’m not talking to a bunch of losers; I’m talking to the most successful people in the world.
If you can’t leave church confident and happy, then you’d better find a church that is telling you all the Good News!
